Support materials for use in high productivity liquid chromatography must be mechanically strong in order to withstand operation at high rates of flow under high pressures. Moreover, such physical properties must be stable over the wide range of pH to which such materials are subjected during normal operation and regeneration. Physical properties of particular importance to chromatographic media are (1) sphericity of the particles, (2) high surface area, (3) high pore volume and availability with (4) a wide range of pore diameters, and (5) a wide range of particle diameters.
In seeking these goals, a wide variety of polyfluorocarbon substrates have been developed by others, but these developments have achieved only limited success in their capability of meeting each of these criteria. The particles of the invention constitute a major improvement over the prior art, especially with respect to higher surface areas, higher pore volume and high porosity.